Substrate recommendations?

[vonp]

I am starting a 75 gal planted tank. It will probably be low light without co2 to begin with. Any recommendations on a good substrate?


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[Dallascowboys16]

I am starting a 75 gal planted tank. It will probably be low light without co2 to begin with. Any recommendations on a good substrate?


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Cant go wrong with Eco compete in a planted tank.

 

[unstopaBULLFish]

For growing plants I reccomend Eco complete or flourite. Looks good right size and everything. Great substrate for growing plants. Just make sure your rinse out any dust in the bags


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[PoppaRyno]

Amazonia ADA aquasoil.

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[Dallascowboys16]

Amazonia ADA aquasoil.

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Thats if you have a couple hundred dollars to drop on substrate for a larger tank. If you have a 29 gallon or smaller this is plausible on a normal budget.

 

[PoppaRyno]

Sorry wasnt thinkin budget. Was just giving options.

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[Dallascowboys16]

Sorry wasnt thinkin budget. Was just giving options.

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No no I didn't mean to make that sound bad. I was just letting the OP know it is pretty pricey.

 

[Reefer James]

I hate eco complete. Everyday I see it in my angelfish tank I wish I got fluval, aga, or fluorite.

 

[Mebbid]

Honestly, the substrate doesn't make or break a tank. The care you put into a planted tank is infinitely more important than the substrate. With that in mind I prefer sand over anything else.

Gravel - Collects a lot of nutrients (Detritus) it's good for root feeding plants, but it's generally a giant pita to plant in as plants easily get uprooted.
Sand - Very easy to plant in but will require a sizable number of root tabs to make up for the low CEC. If you choose a really fine sand some malaysian trumpet snails would be a good addition.
Flourite - Imho this is a hideous substrate. It works, but it's just not appealing to me.
Eco complete - Perhaps the most popular plant substrate on this forum. Very effective and it's black color is good for making the colors of plants and fish pop.
Dirt - Using organic soil and capping it with sand or gravel. A lot of available nutrients for plants. It can cause nutrient issues in the beginning and it can be a mess if you like to move plants. I used to use dirt but ended up going back to straight sand.
ADA Aquasoil - I've never tried it before but would like to give it a shot small scale. Would be fun to try it in a shrimp tank. I can't really comment much on it.

 

[PoppaRyno]

I use ada aquasoil with a black sand in my 150gl. I hear its pricey but i traded a bunch of discus i bred to the lfs for it, so i wouldnt know.

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[PoppaRyno]

Its awsomeness in a fishy tank. Whats that.... The plants agree. Lol. You guys are the best.

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[Reefer James]

Fluorite does come in a black sand and other colors than that ugly orange! but they do not have as much iron..

 

[PoppaRyno]

Fluorite does come in a black sand and other colors than that ugly orange! but they do not have as much iron..

Really, thats awsome. I only ever come across the danged orange.

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[Caliban07]

I'd go down the organic soil and capping root. As Mebbid says it has a lot of nutrients and can sustain a tank for many years.

Gravel is ok but in a fresh tank it can take a very long time before detritus breaks down into a form that the plans can readily take in. With the consensus placed on frequent gravel vaccuming this can cause further problems.

I personally do not see the point in using other manufacturers substrates when organic soil works just as well and is a hell of a lot cheaper.


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[Caliban07]

I'd go down the organic soil and capping root. As Mebbid says it has a lot of nutrients and can sustain a tank for many years.

Gravel is ok but in a fresh tank it can take a very long time before detritus breaks down into a form that the plans can readily take in. With the consensus placed on frequent gravel vaccuming this can cause further problems.

I personally do not see the point in using other manufacturers substrates when organic soil works just as well and is a hell of a lot cheaper.


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Route*....all this talk about plants


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[vonp]

Thanks for all the info. I think I might go with the Eco


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[bcarl_10gal]

In order of performance. Cost Represented by ($-$$$)
1/2 Pretty much even between a dirt cap ($) and ADA Aquasoil ($$$) (Tom Barr has done studies to confirm this.
3. Some other kind of aqausoil (Fluval Satrum, Brightwell $$$)
4. Activ-Flora ($$) - Hard to find but good thread documenting its success
5. Eco-Complete/Florite ($$)
6. Sand (No additives, if you add root tabs I could see this moving above the eco, several members here have success with this $)
7. Plain Gravel ($)

Substrate choice is very important. If you are on the lower end of light etc., it becomes less of an importance but still needs careful consideration.

 

[Caliban07]

Substrate choice is very important. If you are on the lower end of light etc., it becomes less of an importance but still needs careful consideration.

In my opinion, this is only true if additional forms of fertilisation is provided. For example, in a lightly stocked tank comprised of soft water and a sand or gravel substrate, even low light plants grown under low light may struggle.

Since the op doesn't intend to use co2 or fertiliser the choice of substrate becomes very important regardless of lighting unless tap water is rich in essential nutrients.



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[vonp]

What do you mean by dirt cap?


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[bcarl_10gal]

You put a layer of organic soil (Do research on which ones to use) and then put a layer of say eco-complete or another substrate on top of it to prevent the dirt from moving around your tank and turning your water into mud.

If you are not planning on dosing the water column with ferts then you will have to use root tabs or a sediment that contains nutrients. Eco complete is inert.